Peerless Chestnut Purée

The epitome of romantic, sensual, Old World are as descriptive of Budapest as of the famous Gerbeaud Café which has been the focus of glamour for 155 years in the heart of that picturesque Hungarian capital. During that time, famous names that have been inscribed in this elegant establishment’s gilded guestbook, included the Austro-Hungarian Empire’s Empress Elizabeth, Princess Diana, Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands, Queen Elizabeth II, former Czech president Vacláv Hável, Madonna, Ralph Fiennes, Melanie Griffith, Antonio Banderas Brad Pitt and many more.

While its 17th century ornate but never ostentatious style and social cachet did draw the carriage trade, Gerbeaud Café’s main attraction has always been gustatory—namely, its superb confectionery creations. These ranged from the classic Dobos Torte and Esterházy cake to the Royal Orange Caramel and Chocolate delight.

But sorry, as far as I’m concerned, you could have them all—including Gerbeaud’s own invention, the super-charged hot chocolate with an Everest of whipped cream—in exchange for my favorite and Gerbeaud masterpiece, the Austro-Hungarian Chestnut Purée. Thankfully, with towering whipped cream included. Here is the recipe (translated from Hungarian & kg & liter measurements), directly from Gerbeaud Café’s own master confectioners:

Ingredients

– 2 and a half (and a bit more) of peeled fresh or frozen chestnuts

– 4 and 1/3rd cups of milk

– Two-thirds of a cup of powdered sugar

– 1/8th of a teaspoon of salt (or less)

– One vanilla stick

– Fine brown rum to taste and to help consistency

– Whipped cream for topping

Preparation

– If chestnuts are raw, peel and cook with vanilla stick until chestnuts are soft

5 Responses to "Peerless Chestnut Purée"

What a wonderfully sumptuous recipe, Dina. Is there a special place you buy your chestnuts? I never seem to be able to find good ones. Hope all is well, and it looks like it is, judging from the activity on your blog. Tony and I are off on another press trip on Wednesday, but should slow down by January. Yosemite was simply magical. Keep posting…..xxoo Giovanna

Hiya! I know this is kinda off topic however I’d figured I’d ask.
Would you be interested in trading links or maybe guest
writing a blog article or vice-versa? My website covers a lot of the same subjects
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If you’re interested feel free to shoot me an e-mail.
I look forward to hearing from you! Fantastic blog by the way!

Catharine’s Book

Jolene loves junk food.She loves it so much she wears red licorice in her hair—and pink taffy underwear!The Munch Bunch calls her "The Junk Food Queen."Then, one night in her dreams, she meets a bunch of cool characters who take her on an incredible, edible journey into a world of juicy fruits, super salads and yummy smoothies.Book acclaimed by The Diabetes Research Institute Foundation - which uses it in its fundraising drives.

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Our Catharine “The Kitchen Shrink” Kaufman recently received the following comment from Mischa Popoff in Osoyoos BC Canada , under the heading of “The inside story of the organic industry.”

Mr. Popoff’s e-mail was forwarded to me for reply—mostly because researching all things pertaining to organic foods, from production to consumption, has been my task since FRC first hit the Web. Far from claiming expertise—the topic is too vast and changeable—I merely admit to passionate interest in factual information that leads to safe foods and healthy nutrition.

We decided to share this exchange to answer some questions and perhaps come up with new ones. Hope you won’t hesitate to chime—opinions, conclusions, different information are all welcome. Post your comments, corrections, critiques, messages and contributions to this discussion directly on this site or e-mail them to me at FreeRangeClub.

E-mail from Mr. Mischa Popoff to The Kitchen Shrink:

Dear Catharine,

To listen to some media outlets you’d think the multi-billion-dollar organic industry was infallible. I’m trusting you’ll be a bit more objective.

As you may already know, I worked for five years in the United States and Canada as an organic inspector. I believe fervently in the principles of organic farming but maintain that we have to prove those principles instead of operating on the politicized, bureaucratic honor system that’s been the organic industry’s mainstay for the last decade.

Our International Friends

Ciao Dina,
Thanks so much for your interest in Aroma Cucina!. My wife, Jude, and I are honored to be part of the FreeRangeClub.com.
Jeff

My discovery of the bi-continental Aroma Cucina while surfing the Internet for food sites and recipe ideas, turned out to be a case of mistaken identity—specifically, my mistake in thinking it was a restaurant. Not.

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